Living in a house called The Perpetual Curate doesn’t quite have the same ring as living in The Old Vicarage.

But that is where Andrew Roberts and his family have been living for the past ten years, and fortunately it has been called The Old Vicarage for some time.

Andrew’s wife spotted the house with a local estate agents, and it had been vacant for some time. During the 18 months it lay empty, two of the original fireplaces were stolen; not a very Christian act!

“There is a date of 1739 above the door. Some years ago, we took a tour of Tong Village with the historical society and found out that, while it is called The Old Vicarage, it used to be the home of the perpetual curate,” says Andrew.

“Apparently, the church wasn’t deemed large enough by the lord of the manor to have a full-time vicar, so it was lived in by the curate.

“Some time later, probably because the same lord of the manor decreed it, a proper vicar was appointed and he lived in the vicarage, which is now part of a local hotel, so our home became known as the Old Vicarage.”

Obviously a better choice than The Old Perpetual Curate.

“When we saw the house we fell in love with its appearance and charm," says Andrew. "It’s a fantastic family home. We had four children when we moved in, with the fifth arriving later. They were all young and we wanted somewhere that we could have family get-togethers. With five bedrooms and three bathrooms, it was by far the best we had seen when house-hunting.

“It still had some original features – apart from the stolen fireplaces – and my wife saw the potential to make enhancements.”

Twenty years earlier, the previous owners had turned what was already an imposing house into one which was even more grand, converting outbuildings – possibly stables – into what is now the kitchen, with a bedroom built over it.

This Grade II listed property is an ideal family home with lots of character. On the ground floor is a lounge with part-panelled walls, a cast iron fireplace with open fire and a window seat. There is also a dining room with beamed ceiling and part-panelled walls, together with a stone fireplace and open fire.

Attractive mullion windows and a window seat are a feature of the sitting room, while the kitchen is a beautiful modern space with an island unit, granite worktops, built-in cooker and Belfast sink. There is also a utility room and a cloakroom on the ground floor.

Upstairs is the master bedroom with dormer and gable windows, laminate floor and en-suite bathroom, plus four further bedrooms – two having cast iron fireplaces – family bathroom and shower room.

Even though the property had been empty for some time, it didn’t need a massive amount of work, so the family’s biggest project was the kitchen.

“When we moved in it was very nice, but the kitchen was long and thin and there wasn’t a lot of natural light,” Andrew recalls. “My wife designed what she wanted and, with the help of a local architect, we got the relevant planning permission and listed building consent for the kitchen renovations and a conservatory or orangery on the back of the house.”

Although the foundations for the conservatory are still in place, that part of the renovation was put on hold.

“We’ve put a completely new shower room in, converting what was previously a linen cupboard that went the full length of the wall, into a walk-in shower with wet and dry areas,” Andrew adds.

“We have also replaced the two missing fireplaces and in one we put an all-fuel stove. My favourite room in the house is the main sitting room downstairs; it’s very cosy and so relaxing – very welcoming – but I also really love the new walk-in shower room and the original features in the bedroom.”

The house has a shared driveway with electric gates, drive for parking and an integral garage. At the back of the property is a lawned garden with patio area and summer house.

“The garden just needed a general tidying, although we have put in a play house for the children and garden storage. We also put in the electric gates for the safety of the children as well as security.

“We get lots of grey squirrels in the garden, birds and the occasional hedgehog. We have also had a fox use part of the shrubbery for a den.

“The garden gets quite a lot of sun throughout the day and is very private, so the children spend a lot of time there, and we often use it for socialising – weather permitting.”

The best thing about living here, according to Andrew, is the location. “It’s so handy for the motorway yet still very rural. The people in the village are so friendly. There’s the local pub just down the road and an ice-cream parlour at the bottom of the village, which is an ideal place to take the children for a treat.

“I’m going to miss the village and the people. It’s a real community, and that is so rare to find these days.”

The Old Vicarage in Tong Lane, Tong Village, is on the market for £475,000 with Bairstow Eves, Bradford, tel (01274) 393955